Sunday, December 23, 2012

A discussion on a private mailing list reminded me that there seems to be some confusion about just what agency pricing is, and whether it benefits writers, and particularly indie writers. Some prominent folks in the industry seem to think that indie writers should want an agency model when they do business with their vendors.

I disagree, and I think the confict exists because some folks are confusing a couple of factors. From the POV of the NY publishers, agency pricing is about controlling the final sale price. They were actually making MORE money under the retail system than they were under agency. They didn't want e-book buyers to get used to low-priced e-books on Amazon, and they were willing to take a hit on their e-book profits to accomplish this.

Under the retail model, the vendor essentially buys however many units of a product, pays a certain price for them, then sells them at whatever retail price they want. That's what produces price competition between vendors, which is good from the consumers' POV -- the fact that some vendors are willing to accept less profit per unit sold in an attempt to sell more units, by undercutting the store up the street (or online). The manufacturer (publisher) still received the same amount of money per unit sold regardless of the actual retail price, even if the vendor chose to use that product as a loss leader, losing however much money on each sale to get customers to visit their store and hopefully spend more money on other items.

So suppose I publish a book and I'd like to sell it for $6.99. I want 70% of that as my wholesale price to the vendor, so I offer it to the vendor for $4.89. So long as the vendor pays me my $4.89 for each copy they sell, I literally do not give a damn how they price my book. They can sell it for $9.99, or for $12.99, or for $7.99, or for $0.99, or give it away for free if they want, so long as I get my $4.89 per unit they move. That's the retail model.

Under agency pricing, the book costs the same everywhere. Buyers have no particular reason to shop at Vendor X instead of Vendor Y, and no particular reason to buy a book this week instead of next month, because it's the same price now that it'll be next month; the price doesn't change. And if you're going through a NY publisher, that price is probably ridiculously high, so you're selling a lot fewer units; even though you're making more money per book, you're selling fewer books and have less money at the end of the quarter.

Agency pricing was about protecting the publishers and furthering their attempts to slow down adoption of e-books. That's it -- that's what the whole fuss was about. Agency pricing offers nothing to the indie writer. (And actually offers even less to the NY published writers, but anyway.)

Unfortunately, what we have now, particularly with Amazon, is the worst of both worlds. We can suggest a retail price, but the vendor can change that price whenever they want to (usually lowering it) and we get 70% (or 35%, or whatever percentage a particular vendor offers) of that actual retail price, which we don't control in the long term. All we can do is suggest a price and hope the actual sale price stays somewhere in that neighborhood.

The solution to this problem is NOT agency pricing, which petrifies the whole equation and sets up a bad situation for the buyers, our readers. The solution is a true retail model, where the vendor pays us $X for each sale they make, and then they decide how to price the item in their store, setting up promotions and sales and loss leaders as they choose. If they think $X is too high, they're welcome to decline to carry our product, and we can decide whether we want to adjust the price, or not. If we want to have some control over our own incomes, though, while maintaining a dynamic market that encourages sales, we don't want agency pricing -- we want retail pricing. We want to know that we're going to make a certain amount per sale (which benefits us) and that it's up to the vendors to fight it out amongst themselves in setting their retail prices (which benefits our readers, encouraging them to buy more books).

Agency pricing is about controlling the retail sale price. Wholesale pricing is about controlling the wholesale price. If I could control the wholesale price, I wouldn't care about controlling the retail price; let the vendor control that, so long as I get my desired wholesale price. Arguing that indie writers should fight to control the retail price is ignoring where our money actually comes from, which is the wholesale price.

Agency pricing only looks good compared with the twisted, non-wholesale model we have now, and if we consider only OUR needs, ignoring the needs of our readers. The wholesale model supports both our needs, while still giving the vendors reasonable flexibility to create their own pricing and sale strategies.

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

For anyone who uses Duotrope and hasn't seen yet, they're switching many of their features over to pay-only on 1 January. According to their announcement, they've been trying to keep the site completely free, supported by voluntary donations, but the fact is they haven't made any of their monthly goals since 2007. They've been saying for some time (at least as long as I've been using the site, almost three years now) that if they couldn't fund the site through donations, they'd have to switch to charging a fee, and that's what's finally happened.

After our subscription model was agreed upon, we went back to those numbers and determined that while a significant drop in the user base was fully expected, we should be able to retain somewhere between 75% to 80% of the submission reports we normally receive.

Equally important is the fact that we will also decrease the amount of unreliable data. On average every year, 28,000 submission reports get ignored in the statistics for a large variety of reasons. Once again, looking at the type of user submitting this information, we predict the unreliable data could decrease by as much as 90%.

It sounds like they were getting most of their good data from people who were voluntarily donating money anyway, so that shouldn't change.

I love Duotrope. I use it as a major source of my anthology listing posts, and I also use it to track my own submissions, and to find markets for my work. I've signed up for a year's subscription, which cost $50 if paid all at once; paid month-by-month, a subscription is $5/month.

I encourage anyone writing, particularly anyone submitting short fiction to magazines and anthologies and webzines, to support Duotrope. They're an awesome resource for writers, and I look forward to using their services for many years.

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

If you've just wandered in off the internet, hi and welcome. :) I do these posts every month (except last month, but anyway), so if this post isn't dated in the same month you're in, click here to make sure you're seeing the most recent one.

Markets with specific deadlines are listed first, "Until Filled" markets (if there are any -- none this month) are at the bottom. There are usually more details on the original site; always click through and read the full guidelines before submitting. Note that some publishers list multiple antho guidelines on one page, so after you click through you might have to scroll a bit.

Note that per editor Steve Berman the deadline for Queering Edgar Allan Poe has slipped from 31 October to 31 December, so if you were working on something for that book and missed the cut-off, you still have some time.

The canon of Edgar Allan Poe, one of the foremost writers of dark and atmospheric fiction and poetry, offers readers haunted shores teeming with various erudite men brooding in the waning light over their feelings for unobtainable women. Yet, whether the tales or verses are grotesque or sinister, Poe's narrators are Outsiders, dealing with emotions that so many queer individuals feel: isolation and abandonment as well as loneliness and lost love. Editor Steve Berman wants to breach the chasm and offer an anthology that replaces the heteronormative aspects of Poe's work and life with a different range of identities.

Regardless whether you make Roderick seduce the unnamed narrator visiting Usher, or have a woman fall under Ligeia's sway, the story should be dark as well as fantastical. Stories that involve Poe the author are also acceptable.

Think both Gothic and gay. Obviously, dependent on the time period, the term homosexual might not be apt. Sexual identity is partly labeling, partly sexual experience, and partly attraction. But do not think of this as a romance or erotica anthology; first and foremost, these are stories that should be at home in Weird Tales as much as Strange Horizons.

Fiction or prose, the rate of pay is 5 cents a word for original material. Reprints must query and the pay will be significantly less. Any length for poetry but fiction should be at least 1,500 words and no more than 12,000. Payment is upon release in the spring of 2013 from Lethe Press, a publisher around for over a decade--and who has released the last two winners of the Lambda Literary Award for Best LGBT Fantasy/Horror/Science Fiction.

Please send all submissions to sberman8 at yahoo dot com as RTF files.

Who is one of the most filmed, most admired characters in English Literature? Yes, Sherlock Holmes. And Lethe Press did release an anthology of queer-themed Holmesian fiction, A STUDY IN LAVENDER. Well, we’re taking on the next such character in a forthcoming anthology.

I want to see historical fiction that expand both major and minor characters from Stoker’s novel. What really happened to Van Helsing’s wife? Did Renfield like to nibble on waifs as much as flies? And so forth. I don’t want characters from the endless cinematic versions. Use Stoker as your Bible, the events of the novel as if they happened.

Stories can range from 2,000 to 10,000 words. No reprints please. No erotica please. I advise you to email me with the scenario you are writing about so I don’t have to read twenty Seward tales. As of now, no stories about the sailors aboard the Demeter or tales about Dracula’s “brides” — they have already been done for the book. Deadline is December 31st. Payment is 5 cents a word for original fiction.

Never before had some much blood been shed on American soil as the period between 1861 and 1865. I'm seeking ghost stories, tales of those that died during the conflict, though the story itself may take place decades after the war. Seeking stories no less than 3,000 words in length, no more than 15,000. Deadline is December 31st. Payment for original fiction is at least 3 cents a word. Reprints at least 1 cent a word.

As with all great trilogies, the third one always changes something we thought we knew. And now it’s up to you to help us forge this new direction.

While this third installment will continue to plague readers with restless nights and sweat-soaked sheets, we’re now offering 5 cents a word for your best nightmare-inducing tales.

As always, this anthology is open to the wide gamut of horror and all its subcategories. Remember, evil has no boundaries and neither do we! Science fiction and dark fantasy will also be considered as long as stories contain strong elements of horror. Third person stories are strongly preferred, but we’ll read first person as long as they are extremely well done or the POV is integral to the plot.

Stories may take place in any setting or time period, as long as it’s well written, powerful, and original. Most importantly, scare us. We want to be haunted by your story long after we put it down. Gore and sex are acceptable, as long as it serves a purpose.

If you want to see the type of material we prefer, check out Night Terrors II on Kindle.

== 12 point font
== Times New Roman or Courier New
== Double-Spaced
== Contact information in the upper left(name, address, phone number, email)
== Word Count Upper Right
== 1 Space after a punctuation
== Underline everything you would like to italicize at publication.
== Submissions should be sent as attachment in .Doc or .Docx

Submission Dates: November 1st to January 1st. Selections will not be made until after the submission period closes.

Payment: All stories will receive 5¢/word

Send submissions to submissions@bloodboundbooks.net. Subject should read: Night Terrors III: story title/author last name

Now this anthology is a memento mori for zombie fans. Starting in the B.C.E., follow zombie attacks through history. What happened to the colonists at Roanoke? Who prowled the burning streets of Rome while Nero fiddled?

All the stories should be historically true in terms of setting and demeanor (but you can change events as needed, as in one story I bought, Oscar Wilde is an action her in 1900). I am currently not seeking any story that takes place after the 1800s. All zombies must be the carnivorous kind. No Voudo zombies please--these are undead slaves and not predators. In fact, I am seeing too many tales with necromancy as the source of the zombies; needless to say, it's tiring. Be inventive. Word length is flexible (I am accepting some short short stories to be the "connective tissue" between main tales). Payment for original is at leats 3 cents a word; payment for reprints at least 1 cent a word. All stories are due Jan 1st.

[Note from a later journal post:]

So I'm still open to reading new stories for the zombie chronology anthology I'm editing for Prime Books. Deadline is January 1st. I'm no longer interested in tales that take place after 1800.

I would really love to read a story where Archimede's heat ray or claw was designed to kill zombies. Or that was the rationale behind Zhuge Liang's primitive land mine.

Or perhaps something with the fallen Colossus of Rhodes - imagine a broken gigantic body that is infested with zombies. Symbolic?

Or in Antigone, Polyneices rises from the dead as a zombie because of necromancy.

Black Apples is an anthology of gothic fairytales starring the classic fairytale princess -– but her ending is maybe not so happy, her quest is perhaps more grim and the darkness of the tale might just come from within…

The Princess might be someone we know, but she can also be a princess we’ve never heard of before. She may come from ancient times, or far into the future. She can be the heroine, or we might not see her on the pages at all –- but the story must somehow evolve around the fairytale princess and/or her role as such – and have a dark twist… We’re looking for the beautiful, sensuous and sinister.

Let’s face it: zombies are hot, and baby, they’re getting hotter. Although not the most traditional of sex symbols, zombies are truly coming into their own, even landing on the silver screen in romantic roles, not to mention ambling and shambling across the pages of novels and television screens. Gone are those one-dimensional gut-munching characters from George Romero’s grim and gruesome flick Night of the Living Dead. Zombies now have a lot more to offer, and thank heavens we non-zombies are finally beginning to recognise this.

From the bestselling novel Pride and Prejudice and Zombies to the hit TV series The Walking Dead, zombies are infiltrating and enriching our daily lives. So isn’t it about time they had their more…err… romantic and sexy sides showcased? It’s my goal as editor of Love, Lust and Zombies to help make this happen. And here’s how you can help.

I want you to write some fun and steamy stories featuring sexy zombie characters and send them over for me to chew on (in a literary sense, that is). Can zombies be sexy? Why the hell not? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, after all. So can you do it without grossing us out too much or being too gory? Sure you can. And you know you want to!

Submission deadline:

Feb 10, 2013

(I’ll be selecting stories on a rolling basis, therefore earlier submissions are strongly encouraged, though I’ll still consider stories that make it in by the deadline).

Word count:

3,000 to 6,500

What I’m looking for:

Well-developed story lines and well-crafted prose told in a unique voice and containing interesting characters and settings. Stories may be set in the past, present, or future. Stories from female and male writers are welcome, as are those written from the POV of characters of any gender and containing characters of any sexual orientation.

Note that sexually explicit content is acceptable as well as a more subtle approach; however, absolutely no stock sex scenes or formulaic writing/terminology. Please refer to my previous anthologies to get an idea of the variety and style of content I look for. No excessive gore or violence. No reprints.

Payment:

One-time payment in the range of USD $50-70 (payable on publication) and 2 copies of the anthology.

Submission requirements:

Stories should be formatted as follows: double-spaced Arial 12-point black font Word or RTF document. Indent the first line of each paragraph by half an inch. Do not add extra lines between paragraphs or any other irregular spacing. American spelling and punctuation only (i.e. quote marks, etc.). Include your legal name (and pseudonym if applicable), postal address, and a fifty-word maximum author bio written in the third person. Contract is for one-time, non-exclusive anthology rights with one year’s exclusivity from date of publication. (This may be waived if your story is selected for a “Best Of” collection). No simultaneous submissions please.

In the subject line of your email, please state: Love, Lust and Zombies

Thursday, December 6, 2012

Jim is reading paper books. We didn't have to wait for his new glasses; his vision has cleared up -- literally -- enough that he can read paper books again. It's a huge relief, like the best Christmas present ever, almost three weeks early.

He's currently working on Bujold's latest, Captain Vorpatril's Alliance, which I already read and enjoyed a lot. Jim sits in his chair reading and periodically laughs or snorts or snickers or whatever, because Bujold is great at inserting a steady stream of low level humor into her writing, even when the book isn't a Humor Book. I'm on the couch doing whatever on my laptop and enjoying his enjoyment, because damn, he can read paper books again. :)

Monday, December 3, 2012

Fantasy writer Jim Hines did a blog post asking fans to donate to the Aicardi Syndrome Foundation, an organization that raises research money for Aicardi Syndrome, a disease that affects 1 in 105,000 little girls. He says, "It causes brain malformation, visual problems, seizures, developmental delays, and other medical complications. Most research puts the life expectancy for people with Aicardi between 8 and 16 years."

The Aicardi Syndrome Foundation is the only source of funding for research into this disease. It also helps families with daughters who've been hit with it. It's a great cause, and I urge everyone reading this to throw some money their way, even if it's only a few dollars.

If you do donate, and report your donations to Jim, he'll do another set of book cover poses at each milestone. If you haven't seen this post before, check it out -- Jim demonstrates the ridiculousness of the positions SF/Fantasy/Paranormal female characters are twisted into on book covers by attempting to get into those positions himself, and having his picture taken. It's hilarious, and also underscores some serious shenanigans on the part of the big publishers, 'cause seriously dudes, this is stupid, and it's all based on the idea that the men who buy these books just want to see boobs and butts, and the women who buy these books will go along with stupidly impossible objectification on the covers, because women will sigh and shrug and buy whatever makes the men happy. [cough]

[If you're still going, "Wait, what--?" then check out this pic, parodying one of the Avengers movie posters. In the real poster, Black Widow is doing the boobs-and-butt pose, but all the men are in normal, tough-guy-ready-for-combat poses. This artist turned it around, giving Black Widow a normal pose and putting Captain America into the standard female boobs-and-butt pose. The other men are just displaying their butts. It's awesome. :D ]

And as if that weren't enough, Jim is challenging John Scalzi to a pose-off at two of the milestone points, $1000 and $2500. I really hope they make the $2500, because the pose-off should be great.

Friday, November 30, 2012

My husband had his second eye surgery a few days ago, the one for the cataract. The follow-up appointment looked good; there's no sign of either infection or of glaucoma, which is a rare but non-zero possible consequence of this kind of surgery. If that particular number comes up, there's nothing they can do, and all you have to look forward to is eventual complete blindness in that eye. It looks like Jim's dodged that one, though. He'll go back in a couple of weeks for another check-up, and to get a new prescription for glasses, once things have healed up and settled down.

He's feeling good about the outcome. His left eye is a lot clearer than it was before this recent surgery, and we're hoping that with his new glasses, he'll be able to read paper books again. That'd be awesome. Positive thoughts in Jim's direction greatly appreciated.

It's funny, I was looking at my wordcount records just recently and realized that, one, I haven't written squat this year (which I've been aware of for a while), and two, that the squat started right around April. Duh. :P Dean and Kris talk about liferolls, and I hadn't really thought about it because it didn't happen to me, personally, but I've been stressed out over this since Jim's retina tried to rip itself out of his eyeball back in April. I'm bipolar, which means my productivity is iffy at the best of times, dependent upon what my brain chemistry is doing on any given day. I don't handle stress well at all, and this has been almost eight solid months of worrying and stressing out. It's not quite over yet, but there's the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel now, and there's a decent chance it's not an on-coming train. We'll see.

At least I can look forward to 2013 being a much better writing year than 2012. It really couldn't be worse, so the future's looking good. That's something to feel optimistic about.

I hope everyone else has been doing well, and has a great holiday. [wave/hug]

Sunday, November 11, 2012

For anyone looking for the Anthology Listing, I'm afraid I'm skipping this month. I'm on a cruise ship a couple of days out from Tahiti; internet is unreliable, and when it works it costs thirty-eight cents per minute. I usually do several hours of research online before I post the month's listing, and much as I love you all, I'm not willing to spend a hundred bucks or more to do it. :/ When I get home, I'll have one (1) day to wash every garment I own before getting back on a plane to go to my mom's for Thanksgiving, at which point I'll be doing family stuff. I think November's going to be a wash for the listing. Everyone keep writing, and I'll see you in December.

I've been having a great time, doing lots of reading and lots of writing, and am sitting here with a truly spectacular sunburn, courtesy of Bora Bora. :) We went on a 4WD tour around the island and up three mountains. It was truly awesome, but the truck had no roof (which was one of the awesome parts, actually) and I got sizzled like whoa. My face has been peeling off my skull in small, dried-up bits, and the peeling part is working its way onto my scalp. I expect to have what'll look like an absolutely terminal case of dandruff by tomorrow at the latest. [rueful smile]

Tahiti's awesome; see it if you can. Bora Bora was particularly beautiful, and had great weather, sunburn notwithstanding. Samoa is lovely and has incredibly nice people, but the missionaries did a number on them like whoa, to the point where it's rather horrifying. (Samoa is very Christian, to the point where you're required to go to church on Sundays, and when one of the people on our tour asked the guide on American Samoa about their religious beliefs before the missionaries, she smiled and said, "We had no beliefs." O_O Note that American Samoa was the less uptight of the two stops; Apia was more conservative on the surface, but nobody asked any of the locals there within my hearing about their traditional beliefs. Now I kind of wish I had, for comparison. I'd like to think this one guide is just particularly well brainwashed, and not representative.)

Hawaii is... well, it's the US, and there you go. It's worth visiting, definitely, but don't expect it to feel terribly different, if you're an American. The Polynesian Cultural Center that everyone raves about is very expensive and very plasticly Disneyfied. Oh, and no one grows sugar cane commercially on Hawaii anymore, something I didn't know. The last crop was harvested in December of... either 2008 or 2010, I forget now, but just a few years ago.

We have our share of idiots on board, including one gentleman who was on a tour with us who seems to think all brown people speak Spanish. [headdesk] I've been wishing I could confiscate people's citizenship for a while now, because nobody who goes out to foreign countries representing the USA should be allowed to be that obnoxiously ignorant. Every cruise seems to have at least a handful of them, and it's damned embarassing.

I meant to do a stop-by-stop commentary, but that probably won't happen at this point. If you have any questions, I'll be happy to answer. I'm having a great time (and losing lots of weight, yay! being one of the few people on the planet who loses weight on cruises) but am looking forward to being back in my own bed.

Oh, and the internet on this ship has some kind of nanny software installed. :( Early on I was bounced off of several of the sites in my RSS reader because of "adult" content, and I've been pretty much ignoring the whole thing since. I'm not sure how tight it's set, and trying to read something means it's marked as "read" in my feed reader; I already have to just remember (with my awful memory) that I need to back up on a few blogs and comics, and I'd just as soon not mess up any more feeds, so I have 1000+ posts piled up with more coming in all the time. I'll try to get through them all, at least eyeballing post titles to see what's interesting, but if I haven't commented on your blog in a few weeks, that's why. [sigh] It's going to be a busy holiday season.

I hope everyone's been doing well, and writing well, and that everyone's safe and unflooded and not blown over. {{{}}}

Oh, and Washington now has gay marriage! :D Washington's voters rock; I'm very proud of the state I live in. I wish the rest of the country would get with the 21st century.

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Jim and I went to see Wicked last night, at the Paramount Theater in Seattle. All I knew going in was that it was the story of the Wicked Witch of the West, with some hazy concept that it was her side of things, showing why she didn't deserve to be considered the villain of the original book/movie. Which... yeah, that's pretty much what it's about. As with most storytelling, though, it's the details that matter.

[Some spoilers, I guess, sorta.]

The characterizations were great, with no really cardboard characters among the main cast. Teenage Glinda (who starts out as Galinda) is first presented as a shallow, self-absorbed, tissue paper character, with her *Good!* persona deliberately worn in her quest to be liked. And while she's pretty dim throughout the whole story, she acquires dimension as events progress, and turns out likeable. Even if I still wanted to smack her occasionally.

Fiero, the love interest, is a Winkie prince who's proud of how many schools he's been thrown out of. Glinda assumes that as the pretty, popular blonde girl, she must be the Heroine and is therefore obviously going to "get" the handsome prince. Looking back, I think Glinda's major tragedy is that she's trying to be genre savvy but is failing horribly because she doesn't know what character she's playing.

Which is a lot of time to spend on someone who's not the protag, but in the original WoO, Glinda and the Wicked Witch of the West are opposites, contrasting and balancing one another. If we're going to change our view of the WWW, we have to change our view of Glinda as well, and the play spends a lot of time focused on Glinda, as the major supporting character, to do just that. The relationship between Glinda and Elphaba grows and changes, taking a couple of sharp corners along the way, and is arguably more interesting than the romantic relationship either has with Fiero.

Elphaba, the actual protag, learns the most and changes the least. Or rather, what changes is her understanding of how the world works and how far she can manipulate it, rather than her core personality. This is her story more than anyone else's (although we get some great background on the other Ozian characters from the original story) and we're focused on her throughout. I'll admit I had tears streaming for most of the play -- not sobbing or anything, but just overflowing, because although there aren't very many out-and-out sad scenes, the play opens with the celebration of the Wicked Witch's death, then goes to flashback, so through the whole thing, you know what's coming.

What it comes down to is that Dorothy was duped into taking a paid hit on someone who'd become inconvenient to the ruling establishment. Which is, you know, a rather cynical but definitely non-fairy tale way of looking back at The Wizard of Oz. [wry smile]

Oh, and the ending works beautifully. :)

Definitely see this if you have a chance. I hope they make a movie so everyone can see it without shelling out for expensive tickets, but for now, if you have the money in your entertainment budget, this is a great way to spend it.

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

If you've just wandered in off the internet, hi and welcome. :) I do these posts every month, so if this post isn't dated in the same month you're in, click here to make sure you're seeing the most recent one.

Markets with specific deadlines are listed first, "Until Filled" markets (if there are any -- none this month) are at the bottom. There are usually more details on the original site; always click through and read the full guidelines before submitting. Note that some publishers list multiple antho guidelines on one page, so after you click through you might have to scroll a bit.

The canon of Edgar Allan Poe, one of the foremost writers of dark and atmospheric fiction and poetry, offers readers haunted shores teeming with various erudite men brooding in the waning light over their feelings for unobtainable women. Yet, whether the tales or verses are grotesque or sinister, Poe's narrators are Outsiders, dealing with emotions that so many queer individuals feel: isolation and abandonment as well as loneliness and lost love. Editor Steve Berman wants to breach the chasm and offer an anthology that replaces the heteronormative aspects of Poe's work and life with a different range of identities.

Regardless whether you make Roderick seduce the unnamed narrator visiting Usher, or have a woman fall under Ligeia's sway, the story should be dark as well as fantastical. Stories that involve Poe the author are also acceptable.

Think both Gothic and gay. Obviously, dependent on the time period, the term homosexual might not be apt. Sexual identity is partly labeling, partly sexual experience, and partly attraction. But do not think of this as a romance or erotica anthology; first and foremost, these are stories that should be at home in Weird Tales as much as Strange Horizons.

Fiction or prose, the rate of pay is 5 cents a word for original material. Reprints must query and the pay will be significantly less. Any length for poetry but fiction should be at least 1,500 words and no more than 12,000. Payment is upon release in the spring of 2013 from Lethe Press, a publisher around for over a decade--and who has released the last two winners of the Lambda Literary Award for Best LGBT Fantasy/Horror/Science Fiction.

Please send all submissions to sberman8 at yahoo dot com as RTF files.

Horror World is excited to announce that we are now accepting submissions for the Horror World Anthology of Short Fiction – Volume 1 to be published in e-book format at the end of 2012. Trade PB to follow in 2013 (provided the world doesn't end).

The following are the guidelines for submission.

*Manuscripts should be 500 to 5000 words in length. Exceptions will be made either over or under the word limit based on quality. Poetry will be considered.

*Manuscripts should be single spaced with breaks instead of indentations to denote new paragraphs. Please use size 12 Times New Roman font. Manuscripts should be submitted in DOC or DOCX formats.

*We accept electronic submissions only through the following email address: submissions@horrorworld.org. Please allow up to 3 months for a response.

*No multiple submissions. Please wait until you receive an acceptance or rejection before sending another story.

We are now accepting short story submissions for the Urban Green Man anthology until November 30, 2012 at midnight. Please be sure to read these guidelines carefully and consider exploring our History of the Green Man page before sending us your work.

For this anthology we seek fantastic stories involving the mythology of the Green Man in any form (which includes the Green Woman). While the mythology is predominantly European, the setting is not limited to that region. Also, stories MUST be fantastical, ripe with the magic of the archetype. We want urban fantasy or contemporary fantasy; no science fiction or steampunk please. And while Jack in the Green, the horned god, and many other myths in conjunction with the Green Man are acceptable, the closer you are to using pure Green Man mythology the better.
Word count limit is 5,000 words, with shorter stories preferred; poems will also be considered. We are looking for new stories at this time, and would prefer only one submission per author.

All stories must be in English using standard submission format, and submitted to submissions@urbangreenman.com as a .rtf attachment. Please put SUBMISSION/NAME/TITLE in the subject line of your email, and include a short bio in the body of the email. We cannot be held responsible for submissions lost in transit.
The pay rate for stories is 3.5 cents/word, and $20 for each poem.
Hades Publications buys exclusive world rights for paper and electronic publishing for a period of one year after the date of publication. Contributors retain the right to market their individual entries outside the anthology after this period. Exceptions will be considered for 'best of' anthologies.

CLOCKWORK PHOENIX 4 is the next volume in the anthology series edited by Mike Allen, scheduled to be published by Mythic Delirium Books in July 2013. It is open to the full range of the speculative and fantastic genres.

Editor Mike Allen says CLOCKWORK PHOENIX 4, like its predecessors, "is a home for stories that sidestep expectations in beautiful and unsettling ways, that surprise with their settings and startle with the ways they cross genre boundaries, that aren't afraid to experiment with storytelling techniques. But experimentation is not a requirement: the stories in the anthology must be more than gimmicks, and should appeal to genuine emotions, suspense, fear, sorrow, delight, wonder. I will value a story that makes me laugh in its quirky way more than a story that tries to dazzle me with a hollow exercise in wordplay.

"The stories should contain elements of the fantastic, be it science fiction, fantasy, horror or some combination thereof. A straight psychological horror story is unlikely to make the cut unless it's truly scary and truly bizarre. The same applies to a straight adventure fantasy or unremarkable space opera — bring something new and genuine to the equation, whether it's a touch of literary erudition, playful whimsy, extravagant style, or mind-blowing philosophical speculation and insight. Though stories can be set in this world, settings at least a hair or more askew are preferred. I hope to see prose that is poetic but not opaque. I hope to see stories that will lead the reader into unfamiliar territory, there to find shock and delight.

"Over the course of reading for the first volume, I developed some criteria for stories that aren't likely to interest me (though exceptions are always possible). These include straightfoward retellings of well-known fairy tales; stories in which a Machine Discovers Its Humanity; stories that aim to prove Christianity/Religion Is Bad; stories about a Privileged Schmuck who comes to understand Oppression Is Bad; stories whose entire plot can be described as X Commits a Murder; stories of wish-fulfillment with little complication — i.e.: character longs for something; character is granted that something; end of story.

"My aim with the CLOCKWORK PHOENIX books is, somewhat selfishishly, to create books that satisfy my own tastes as a reader. And as a reader, I enjoy stories that experiment, that push the envelope, that dazzle with their daring, but I'm often personally frustrated when an experimental story ends without feeling complete, without leaving an emotional crater for me to remember it by. At the same time, I find myself increasingly bored with the traditional, conventionally-plotted and plainly-written Good Story Competently Told. For better or for worse, I envision the CLOCKWORK PHOENIX books as places where these two schools of story telling can mingle and achieve Happy Medium; where there is significance to both the tale that's told and the style of the telling.

"For the second and third volumes, I received few stories with the rococo sf elements I enjoy seeing. I hope more people will try their hand at them this time around."

RIGHTS PURCHASED: First English Language Rights, print and electronic. We will ask writers not to allow reprints for a year after publication, with exemptions made for "Best of the Year" anthologies. We do not ask for audio rights.

PAYMENT: $0.05 per word on return of counter-signed contract as an advance against royalties, then an evenly divided share of royalties after earnout, plus one print contributor copy and electronic copies in preferred formats.

WORD LENGTH: Stories should be no longer than 10,000 words; stories under 5,000 words STRONGLY PREFERRED.

READING PERIOD: Oct. 1-Dec. 14, 2012.

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS: Submissions are electronic only. Please submit your story via e-mail, as an RTF or DOC file attachment. (Please do not send DOCX files; we can't read them.) Your e-mail subject line should say "Submission: Story Title". Include a brief cover letter in the body of your email. It should have your name, address, e-mail address, title of story, number of words, and brief biographical information in case we don't know you, with most recent publishing credits, if applicable. We are open to new writers and seasoned veterans alike. We do not accept reprints.

WILL MULTIPLE SUBMISSIONS BE ALLOWED? Yes.

WILL SIMULTANEOUS SUBMISSIONS BE ALLOWED? No. "No one is going to get a formal acceptance from me until after the reading period ends. If you can't wait that long to find out what I think, then please don't waste my time or Inbox space."

Dark Visions is an upcoming anthology that will focus on the darker side of the street.

For this collection of short stories, we’re looking for work that fits comfortably into the Dark Horror and Dark Fantasy genres, but that is a ‘cut above.’ If you’re an author whose subject matter is complex, disturbing, visceral, or brooding and thought provoking, then you’ll want it included in Dark Visions.

As with each of our upcoming anthologies, it isn’t our intention to limit the creativity or our authors by establishing specific themes for each of the collections. Preferring instead to let each writer’s words speak for themselves in an effort to uncover the best and brightest new voices working in the field today. Dark Visions is intended to celebrate this creativity, without limitations.

If you feel your work contains the tension, pacing and great themes that are necessary to terrify a reader, leaving them breathless yet clamoring for more, we want to hear from you. Please review our Submissions Guidelines below, and contact us with any questions.

Dark Visions is a working title. Grey Matter Press reserves the right to change the title as necessary.

Acceptable File Formats: Grey Matter Press wants to make your submission process easy and painless. We accept manuscripts that are *.doc, *.docx or .txt file formats. If you have any questions about the formatting of your manuscript, feel free to contact us directly at submissions@greymatterpress.com

Digital Submissions: Unfortunately, we cannot accept manuscripts of previously published pieces. Only previously unpublished work will be accepted. We will accept your submission via email at submissions@greymatterpress.com. Subject lines should contain name of Anthology and the title of the story being submitted. (ex: SPLATTERLANDS – ‘Title of Story.’

Font Usage and General Formatting: We request that all files be submitted double-spaced, using either Arial or Times New Roman 12 point font. Page margins should be no less than .5 inch on all borders.

Distribution: Upon acceptance into our anthologies, Grey Matter Press will hold all exclusive publishing rights for the period defined within author contract (generally 12-24 months). At the end of that term, intellectual property rights will revert to the original author, with Grey Matter Press retaining distribution rights for the format(s) originally contracted.

Contributor Copies: All contributors whose work is accepted and published in the anthology will, in the case of digital publishing, receive a digital copy of the complete anthology, and in the case of paperback publishing, will we able to purchase up to 5 copies of the anthology at cost.

For our upcoming anthology Splatterlands, we are looking for the loudest voices working in the genre of Splatterpunk fiction today. If you consider your work to be “hyperintensive horror without limitation,” then Splatterlands may be for you. If you were weaned on fiction from the masters of Splatter, such as Clive Barker, Joe Lansdale, Poppy Z. Brite, Robert McCammon and more, we definitely want to hear from you.

As with each of our upcoming anthologies, it isn’t our intention to limit the creativity or our authors by establishing specific themes for each of the collections. Preferring instead to let each writer’s words speak for themselves in an effort to uncover the best and brightest new voices working in the field today. Splatterlands is intended to celebrate this creativity, without limitations.

If you feel your work can help us bring Splatterpunk back, we want to hear from you. Please review our Submissions Guidelines below, and contact us with any questions.

Splatterlands is a working title. Grey Matter Press reserves the right to change the title as necessary.

Acceptable File Formats: Grey Matter Press wants to make your submission process easy and painless. We accept manuscripts that are *.doc, *.docx or .txt file formats. If you have any questions about the formatting of your manuscript, feel free to contact us directly at submissions@greymatterpress.com

Digital Submissions: Unfortunately, we cannot accept manuscripts of previously published pieces. Only previously unpublished work will be accepted. We will accept your submission via email at submissions@greymatterpress.com. Subject lines should contain name of Anthology and the title of the story being submitted. (ex: SPLATTERLANDS – ‘Title of Story.’

Font Usage and General Formatting: We request that all files be submitted double-spaced, using either Arial or Times New Roman 12 point font. Page margins should be no less than .5 inch on all borders.

Distribution: Upon acceptance into our anthologies, Grey Matter Press will hold all exclusive publishing rights for the period defined within author contract (generally 12-24 months). At the end of that term, intellectual property rights will revert to the original author, with Grey Matter Press retaining distribution rights for the format(s) originally contracted.

Contributor Copies: All contributors whose work is accepted and published in the anthology will, in the case of digital publishing, receive a digital copy of the complete anthology, and in the case of paperback publishing, will we able to purchase up to 5 copies of the anthology at cost.

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

I just put Birthdays Suck up on my web site. This is a free short story, part of the Sentinels series, set back in the early nineties when Paul was a teenager. It's Paul's birthday, and he's not at all happy about it, because he's sure his life is pretty much over.

Note that this story has a MAJOR spoiler for A Hidden Magic. If you haven't read that, and plan to, you'll want to read that first, then go read "Birthdays Suck" afterward.

Friday, October 5, 2012

This is a great collection of photos on Buzzfeed of people in wheelchairs in costumnes -- Halloween costumes or SF convention costumes or Renn Faire costumes or whatever all -- and they're pretty amazing. Check them out!

Friday, September 21, 2012

If you've just wandered in off the internet, hi and welcome. :) I do these posts every month, so if this post isn't dated in the same month you're in, click here to make sure you're seeing the most recent one.

Markets with specific deadlines are listed first, "Until Filled" markets (if there are any -- none this month) are at the bottom. There are usually more details on the original site; always click through and read the full guidelines before submitting. Note that some publishers list multiple antho guidelines on one page, so after you click through you might have to scroll a bit.

Everybody loves a rockstar. The music, the look, the life—it’s loud and glamorous and wild. From the badboy who can’t stay out of trouble to fresh-faced newbies still getting used to the stage to the softrock boys who actually play nice. Then there are all the people behind the scenes who keep the rockers on stage: the agents, producers, techs, songwriters, etc. who help bring the music to life. And the fans, who turn the volume up, beg for the encores, and keep the music playing. Less Than Three Press is seeking stories about the bad boys and girls who make the music and make us want to turn it up and put it on repeat. Got a story for us?

==Stories should be at least 10,000 words. Anything less is too short to run as a serial, as we post them in 5,000 word sections. They should not exceed approx 50,000 words in length, as we do not like a single story to run for too long.
==Stories must be m/m or f/f romance (threesomes, etc. are acceptable, but all parties must be the same gender).
==Stories must have a happily ever after (HEA) or happy for now (HFN) end.
==All usual LT3 submission guidelines apply.
==This collection is centered around the theme of rockstars. All stories must have a strong tie to this theme. Any sub-genre is gladly accepted: sci-fi, mystery, contemporary, steampunk, etc.

Rocking Hard will run as one of LT3′s serial anthologies. Stories will run one by one on a biweekly basis, to be compiled into a single anthology at the end of the series. Current examples of serial anthologies are Bad Moon Rising and Something Happened on the Way to Heaven. They’re an extremely popular aspect of our serial stories, as readers like the shorter stories mixed in with some of our longer running works.

Payment will be $200 on acceptance of the story and 5% of gross subscription sales while your story is in the serial rotation. Authors will receive one copy each of the ebook formats LT3 produces and two copies of the paperback compilation.

Stories should be complete before submitting, and as edited as possible. They can be submitted in any format (doc, docx, rtf, odt, etc), preferably single spaced with a space between paragraphs, in an easy to read font (Times, Calibri, Arial) with no special formatting (no elaborate section separation, special fonts, etc). Additional formatting guidelines can be found here.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia will be editing Dead North, an anthology of zombie stories set in Canada, for Canadian publisher Exile Editions. The editor is interested in stories from 2,000 to 10,000 words. Stories must be set in Canada (Chinatown in Vancouver, the oil patches in Alberta, the vast territory of Nunavut, etc.) . The setting must be an important element, not just a throwaway reference you make on page one and forget on page three. Setting could be past, present or future. You do not need to be Canadian to submit, but Canadian writers are strongly encouraged to submit due to the nature of the anthology.

What is a zombie?

Romero-like or in the vein of Herbert West, created by magic or voodoo, fast or slow, smart or dumb, rotting or perfectly healthy, we are defining a zombie as a reanimated corpse.

What do we want to see?

Smart, quirky and unique takes on zombies. Silvia loves stories with strong heroes, non-linear plots and multicultural characters. Yes, we want to know if the Inuit would cope with the zombie apocalypse with no major issues or if Chinese-Canadians have a secret recipe to deal with zombie disasters.

Was the wendigo really a zombie? Was the Great Fire of 1886 started by zombie hunters? Would zombies freeze in the Manitoba winter? Would a hockey stick make a good defensive weapon against the undead? You tell us.

You do not need to be Canadian to submit, but Canadian writers are strongly encouraged to submit due to the nature of the anthology. Canadian writers, Aboriginal writers, culturally diverse writers, new generation writers, Francophone writers and female writers are strongly encouraged to submit. For a definition of any of these terms please see below.

== Canadian permanent residents, Canadian citizens, Canadians living abroad must indicate their status in their cover letter. International writers: nationality not required, but it is nice to know for my stats sheet.
== Please indicate if you consider yourself any of the following in the cover letter: Aboriginal writer, culturally diverse writer, Francophone writer, new generation writer.
== No multiple submissions (don’t send two/three stories at the same time). Stories must not have been submitted elsewhere for publication consideration: this means no simultaneous subs (exception: stories may be simultaneously submitted to a contest sponsored by Exile Editions and this anthology). Will try to respond quickly.
== 2,000 to 10,000 words.
== Yes to reprints. Indicate if it is a reprint and publishing history. Flat payment of $40 (CAD) for reprints.
== Send as .doc, .docx or .rtf with indented paragraphs, italics in italics and bold in bold (no underlining). Full contact info and word count on the first page. Please include a cover letter (name, story title and word count, contact info, notable credits, if any) in the body of the e-mail.
== Submissions in English only. Stories translated into English are fine.
== Please do not send poetry, plays, novels. Short stories only.

All acceptances or rejections will be sent before December 31 2012. Do not query before that. Payment is 2 cents (CAD) per word and two contributor copies. Release date for the anthology is Fall 2013.

Send all submissions to silmorenogarciaATgmail.com; no paper subs . Subject line: Submission: Dead North: Story Title Last Name.

[Click through for more info, including a list of zombie stories the editor likes, and a list of definitions for the types of writers who are particularly encouraged to submit.]

***

30 September 2012 (or until filled) -- Once Upon an Apocalypse -- ed. Rachel Kenley and Scott T. Goudsward, Chaosium

Over the river and through the woods does not always lead to grandma’s house or happy endings – especially if grandma’s house is infested with zombies… or if grandma is really a Lovecraftian being in disguise. Once Upon an Apocalypse is a two volume post apocalyptic anthology laden with the undead and otherwordly mythos crossing into the realm of fairy tales, nursery rhymes and other timeless stories. Editors Rachel Kenley and Scott T. Goudsward and publisher Chaosium are currently open to submissions for these two books of mixed up retold fairy tales.

What are we looking for?

For both volumes we want stories with strong narrative lines, stronger characters and a clear blending of the theme and the fairy tales. For Volume One imagine Cinderella arriving at the ball and discovering it filled with zombies. Or how different the story would be if it were Snow White and the Seven Zombies. Give us new horrors with Alice in Zombieland, and a Prince who climbs Rapunzel’s hair to get away from and find a way to defeat – you guessed it – zombies. In Volume Two we want a strong dose of Lovecraft thrown in. What happens to the townspeople in The Boy who Cried Cthulhu? Pinocchio is going to have a much harder time getting out of the Old One than the whale; a wolf would have been preferable to Little Red Riding Hood and the Byahkee and the Little Mermaid has so much more to worry about then her legs and a missing voice when she faces a Deep One.

Once you choose a story to change it’s your call how far you will take it. Make the apocalypse clear and give some meaning as to why the dead are meandering through the streets and munching on the breathing or why the Elder God has paid the town a visit. Plague, prestilence, bio warfare, meteor shower, tail of a comet… be creative.

Because we don’t want duplicates of themes, you will be able to follow the progress of the anthologies on our blog (http://onceuponanapocalypse.com) or facebook page (www.facebook.com/OnceUponAnApocalypse) where we’ll keep a current list of themes/tales accepted. For example, if we get a Sleeping Beauty story and it’s awesome, that will be it for the book. Stories should be 2K – 4K in length (please query for stories under or over our limit. We will consider them if they are of exceptional merit). The only true way to have similar stories is A Snow White and the Seven Zombies in one and Snow White Star Vampire Slayer in the other.

What aren’t we looking for?

We all know these are dark fiction anthologies, but gore for the sake of gore is un-needed. This is not splatterpunk or extreme horror. Sex? If the story calls for it fine but keep it to an R rating (maybe even PG-13). We don’t to hear about insertions and spurting fluids, unless is blood from a bite wound or a gun shot. Try to keep the violence towards animals at a minimum. In some mythos, zombies chew on animals and that’s fine, but we don’t want redneck zombies killing all of Bo-Peep’s sheep for a pie. Finally, though we shouldn’t have to mention it (but we will given the theme) – go easy on the child-related violence, please. And no kids and sex – that’s just skeevy.

Readingperiod – now through July 31, 2012 – or until filled.

Pay rates – Pays $.03 per word, no royalties and 3 free books and additional copies at 50% off cover.

Email subs to: ouaastories@ gmail.com

Format:

Stories should be an attachment to your cover letter email, NOT copied and pasted into the body of the email. The cover letter should include a single paragraph synopsis of the story and your publishing history. The submission should be in RTF or DOC format (no DOCX). Left aligned, 1/2” indentation for paragraphs, single spaced. Double space between scenes and use five stars (*****) for breaks in the story. Contact info should be on the first page of the story with word count.

Please do not query for your story until we’ve had it for at least 12 weeks. Publication is expected for the first half of 2013. No reprints and no simultaneous submissions. If we turn you down feel free to try again with a new story but give it a few days between submissions.

And please when submitting please be specific which book you are submitting to. We’re reading for both simultaneously. Subject line of the email should be Name, Story Name, Which book.

A 1950’s Lovecraft/Cthulhu Mythos anthology has been green lit by Chaosium to correspond with their release of the ATOMIC AGE CTHULHU book for their RPG. This will have a very short and hard deadline of October 1st. We do this because the plan is to have this book come out around the same time as the AAC RPG book. This will make for good cross promotion and hopefully make both books sell better. This means that you will have to do a story for us fast, which means perhaps bumping it up past some of your other writing duties. So if you’re down for that, and we hope you are, welcome to our nuclear family of crazed cultists.

So why bring Lovecraftian horror to the 1950’s? Because few other points in history seem so tailor-made for the paranoia and fear that is so important to the Cthulhu Mythos. While many places in the world were still recovering and rebuilding from the Second World War, this was a good time for America in many ways. The economy and industry was roaring, the nation was filled with pride over a hard won victory, the middle class exploded and it seemed like everyone could own their own home, car, or perhaps even one of those new amazing televisions. Very few other decades are remembered more fondly, and viewed through thicker rose-colored glasses, than the 1950’s is for Americans. It was a time of innocence where the music, movies, cars, and everything was just so much better than anything before or since. And yet, all that was largely a façade. Just below the shiny surface of “everything is great” was the festering fear that wrapped its clammy tentacles around everyone regardless of race, sex, or age.

Never before in history did the world face a global threat as it did in the shadow of the A-bombs, and later the even more devastating H-bombs. Educational films were made to show how to survive a nuclear blast, and at the movie theatres the classic monsters of the 30s and 40s were replaced by the horrors spawned from that atom. Children were instructed to crawl under their school desks if “The Bomb” was dropped, as if an inch of wood would make any difference, and many regular families either had new bomb shelters dug into their back yards, or converted existing basements or storm cellars for a more grim purpose.

Then there were the unseen dangers, the enemies that were everywhere, even in our midst. There were the usual cultural threats, exemplified in this decade by devilish rock n’ roll, morally corrupt books like Lolita, and Catcher in the Rye, disgusting nudie magazines like Playboy, and then there were the sinister comic books that were corrupting the minds of the youngest readers. But books and movies were one thing, the threat of a very real unknown army of people, striving to overthrow the entire government and strip away all personal freedom, was quite another. This cabal of evildoers were everywhere, could be anyone including your neighbours, friends, and maybe even your family members. Of course I’m talking about the dreaded Red Menace, the godless communists. Those dastardly Reds had to be stopped by any means necessary, lest the good people of America lose everything.

So you have everyone thinking that everything is A-OK, but in reality you’ve got a global threat that could change the world as we know it, one that can’t be fought against and if ever unleashed, just barely survived. There’s an insidious corruption growing, spreading, influencing the young and easily lead. Not to mention a cult of secretive people working in the shadows to their own nefarious ends. Yep, sounds like Lovecraft to us.

We want stories that blend the happy world of ‘Leave it to Beaver’ and ‘Father Knows Best’ with the cold dread of cosmic horror. Thankfully the 1950’s has much to offer an author to play with. The ever present threat of nuclear annihilation, the spreading red menace that can be anywhere and anyone, the McCarthy witch hunt to combat that menace, the division of Europe and the Iron Curtain, China becoming communist, the birth of the Cold War, a very hot war in Korea, the beginning of the space race, UFO hysteria, rock n’ roll, television, the United States Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency (the ‘comic books are evil’ crowd), sci-fi movies, drive ins, the growth of the suburbs, an American nightmare that would be the influence for some of horror’s greatest books and movies for years to come (Ed Gein), greasers, beatniks, hotrods, vets home from the most devastating war in history, Nazis in South America, man mastering (or attempting to) new scientific marvels, and so much more. So go wild, explore, for you non-US authors out there, feel free to set stories in your home countries and show what it was like over there during this decade, and how life there becomes influenced and corrupted by Lovecraftian horrors. Just remember, every story must be set between 1950 and 1959. You can mention past events, like World War II, but the majority of your story must be set in the 1950s.

Now for the technical stuff.

Submissions close: Midnight 1st October 2012

Word Limit: 3000 – 7000 words FIRM.

Pay Rate: 3 cents per word, 3 complementary contributor copies, and the option to purchase more at a 50% discount.

Format: Standard Manuscript Format, an example of proper formatting can be found here: http://www.shunn.net/format/story.html

In the subject line include the name of the anthology, your full name and story title.

The canon of Edgar Allan Poe, one of the foremost writers of dark and atmospheric fiction and poetry, offers readers haunted shores teeming with various erudite men brooding in the waning light over their feelings for unobtainable women. Yet, whether the tales or verses are grotesque or sinister, Poe's narrators are Outsiders, dealing with emotions that so many queer individuals feel: isolation and abandonment as well as loneliness and lost love. Editor Steve Berman wants to breach the chasm and offer an anthology that replaces the heteronormative aspects of Poe's work and life with a different range of identities.

Regardless whether you make Roderick seduce the unnamed narrator visiting Usher, or have a woman fall under Ligeia's sway, the story should be dark as well as fantastical. Stories that involve Poe the author are also acceptable.

Think both Gothic and gay. Obviously, dependent on the time period, the term homosexual might not be apt. Sexual identity is partly labeling, partly sexual experience, and partly attraction. But do not think of this as a romance or erotica anthology; first and foremost, these are stories that should be at home in Weird Tales as much as Strange Horizons.

Fiction or prose, the rate of pay is 5 cents a word for original material. Reprints must query and the pay will be significantly less. Any length for poetry but fiction should be at least 1,500 words and no more than 12,000. Payment is upon release in the spring of 2013 from Lethe Press, a publisher around for over a decade--and who has released the last two winners of the Lambda Literary Award for Best LGBT Fantasy/Horror/Science Fiction.

Please send all submissions to sberman8 at yahoo dot com as RTF files.

We are now accepting short story submissions for the Urban Green Man anthology until November 30, 2012 at midnight. Please be sure to read these guidelines carefully and consider exploring our History of the Green Man page before sending us your work.

For this anthology we seek fantastic stories involving the mythology of the Green Man in any form (which includes the Green Woman). While the mythology is predominantly European, the setting is not limited to that region. Also, stories MUST be fantastical, ripe with the magic of the archetype. We want urban fantasy or contemporary fantasy; no science fiction or steampunk please. And while Jack in the Green, the horned god, and many other myths in conjunction with the Green Man are acceptable, the closer you are to using pure Green Man mythology the better.
Word count limit is 5,000 words, with shorter stories preferred; poems will also be considered. We are looking for new stories at this time, and would prefer only one submission per author.

All stories must be in English using standard submission format, and submitted to submissions@urbangreenman.com as a .rtf attachment. Please put SUBMISSION/NAME/TITLE in the subject line of your email, and include a short bio in the body of the email. We cannot be held responsible for submissions lost in transit.
The pay rate for stories is 3.5 cents/word, and $20 for each poem.
Hades Publications buys exclusive world rights for paper and electronic publishing for a period of one year after the date of publication. Contributors retain the right to market their individual entries outside the anthology after this period. Exceptions will be considered for 'best of' anthologies.

Friday, August 31, 2012

Hey, all! [wave] I'm here at WorldCon in Chicago and having a great time. I just got back from a reading and Q&A session with John Scalzi, who's always entertaining, and who has a short story (I'm not even going to try to remember the title; it's long and funny) up for a Hugo this year. I'm also hoping to get into Laura Resnick's Bheerfest thing this evening, if one or two people ahead of me on the list don't show up, which would be pretty cool. (I don't drink beer, but I'd love to sit at a table with Laura Resnick and BS.)

I also have a free story called Birthdays Suck up at Cryselle's Bookshelf. It's set in the Sentinel verse and is about Paul's 17th birthday. It has no sex in it, so it's safe for folks who aren't into graphic sex in their fiction, but be aware that there's a major spoiler in this story, if you haven't read A Hidden Magic yet.

I'll put this up as a free read on my own site in two or three weeks, something like that, but for now it's only available at Cryselle's place; my thanks to her for hosting it. :)

Sunday, August 19, 2012

I thought the second book delivered with gusto. I thought it mixed the relationship stuff and magical stuff perfectly, and while in this book I felt that the romance was playing a more major role, it still felt as if the romance was happening in the well developed world and the fantasy stuff was not just a window dressing for the romance, but was providing a strong sense of who the characters were as human beings, as personalities and of course created a lot of stuff for them to do.

...

I loved how amongst fighting various magical threats Rory and Paul were figuring each other out, learning to negotiate their relationship. I was really happy to read about them getting to know each other better and figuring out what makes each other tick;- it was very believable, because in real life people who have known each other for a week could not know everything about each other and be perfect partners right away IMO.

...

I liked that IMO there were no villains in this book – just human beings making bad choices and suffering the consequences. I, however, actually was quite uneasy with the ending and I get a feeling that I was supposed to feel that way, but I cannot help but feel that the punishment was too harsh for the "villains", even though I totally understand the reasoning. I just cannot help but wonder if Paul could find a less harsh punishment for them (especially when he did not even bother to offer something worth of value in a similar bargain of the sorts in the first book). It just felt as an ultimate violation of somebody for whom magic is a part of who they are. I do get a feeling that it will be addressed in the next book of the series in some way, if the next book will come, because I thought that Rory also was feeling the same unease as I did, or I guess the more correct way to describe it would be that I felt the same unease that Rory did :)

I love that Sirius enjoyed the book, that so much worked for her, and even that she had mixed feelings about how the bad guys were dealt with; that's exactly how I was hoping readers would react. :D

Thanks to Sirius, and to Wave as the site host, for the awesome comments!

Friday, August 17, 2012

The first story is just about your basic racist idiot (and I'll agree with anyone who thinks it's uncool to make fun of the guy for being fat, jerkwad or not), but the second one is a great example of how Pennsylvania's new voter ID law will disenfranchise honest people. People who are poor, transient, or of color are more likely to have document issues than people who are well off, at a stable address, and white. Being old, born at a time when documentation wasn't as formal or vital as it is now, is an additional problem. In this case, Ms. Applewhite has been working on replacing her ID after it was stolen, but she's over 90 and getting everything together is tough. She's probably not going to be able to vote in November.

If the Pennsylvania Republican leaders had any brains at all, they'd be swarming around Ms. Applewhite, pushing through her document requests, making absolutely sure she gets new picture ID and a new social security card, and that her voter registration is up to date well before the election. If they want to go on pretending that Pennsylvania's new law is really all about preventing voter fraud (despite the fact that the government can't produce any evidence of significant voter fraud there) then they should make sure people like Ms. Applewhite are accommodated with all speed.

Oh, and for anyone who still thinks the voter ID thing is all about fraud, read this.

Mike Turzai, the Pennsylvania GOP House majority leader, said that a strict new voter ID law will help Republicans win the state for the first time since 1988.

"Pro-Second Amendment? The Castle Doctrine, it’s done. First pro-life legislation -- abortion facility regulations -- in 22 years, done. Voter ID, which is going to allow Governor Romney to win the state of Pennsylvania, done," he said to applause at a Republican State Committee this weekend, according to PoliticsPa.com.

The comment contradicted the usual Republican line that voter ID laws are for guarding against voter fraud -- which is extremely rare if not nonexistent in practice -- and not to help elect Republicans.

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Amazon has copies of Emerging Magic in paperback. The paper version is 390 pages long, and costs $16.95, free shipping if you have Prime.

I also have to laugh -- there are three companies offering to third-party sell you a new copy already, all with a $3.99 charge for shipping, which is doubtless how number one, who's charging $16.94 (Ooooo, discount!) is making money. Number two is charging $17.19, and number three (who's got to be seriously delusional, is all I can say) is charging $57.87. Good luck, dude. :)

I've heard some other writers griping about this, but so long as I get my royalty, they can sell the book for whatever retail price they like. I'm certainly not going to stress out over a business whiz who thinks he can sell a sixteen-something dollar book for almost sixty dollars, on the same page with a [Buy] button for the (identical) sixteen-something dollar version.

Anyway, I'm sort of boinging over here, because this is my first paperback book. I turned in the EM galleys ahead of the HM galleys, so I'm assuming the paperback Hidden Magic will show up some time soon; I'll definitely post about it when it does.

[ETA: Charisstoma found the A Hidden Magic paperback. It's not linked to the Kindle edition yet, so I didn't see it -- stealth paperback! It's 248 pages, and costs $14.95 with Prime shipping available. Thanks to Charisstoma for pointing it out!]

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

If you've just wandered in off the internet, hi and welcome. :) I do these posts every month, so if this post isn't dated in the same month you're in, click here to make sure you're seeing the most recent one.

Markets with specific deadlines are listed first, "Until Filled" markets (if there are any -- none this month) are at the bottom. There are usually more details on the original site; always click through and read the full guidelines before submitting. Note that some publishers list multiple antho guidelines on one page, so after you click through you might have to scroll a bit.

UFO Publishing is soliciting short story submissions for “Unidentified Funny Objects” — An Anthology of Humorous Science Fiction & Fantasy.

We’re looking for speculative stories with a strong humor element. Think Resnick and Sheckley, Fredric Brown and Douglas Adams. We welcome quality flash fiction and non-traditional narratives. Take chances, try something new, just make sure that your story is funny.

Puns and stories that are little more than vehicles for delivering a punch line at the end aren’t likely to win us over.

LENGTH: 500-4000 words.

PAYMENT: $0.05 per word + contributor copy. Payment will be made upon acceptance. Our preferred method of payment is via PayPal, but you may request a check.

FORMAT: RTF or DOC. Standard Manuscript Format or something close to it (We won’t take points off if you prefer Courier to Times New Roman or some such).

Format the subject line as follows: Submission: Story Title by Awesome Author

POLICIES & RESPONSE TIME: No reprints, multiple or simultaneous submissions please. We will respond to all subs within 30 days. If you don’t hear by then please check your spam folder, then query at the same e-mail address with the word QUERY in the title of the e-mail.

SUBMISSION WINDOW: July 1, 2012 through August 31, 2012.

RIGHTS SOUGHT: First Worldwide print and electronic English Language rights. Exclusivity for 6 months from date of release. Non-exclusive rights to keep the anthology in print across different publishing platforms afterward.

[Click through for extensive notes on the editorial staff, their selection process, a FAQ, and links to some humorous stories the editor likes. Note, however, that the third story repeatedly hauls you off to some ad-type page after about a minute, nowhere near enough time to read the story. The first two are worth reading, though, and #1 made me snicker. :) ]

Do you love the idea of a man with tattoos? We do too -- all that lovely skin with just the right mark on the shoulder, or over the heart. Maybe your hero is decorated all over, or maybe he's about to take the plunge for the first time. Maybe he's the one who puts ink to skin, or perhaps he loves the man who does.

That's the concept behind Ink, a new male/male anthology from Torquere Press. We?re looking for sexy, romantic male/male stories about men and ink, whether they have tattoos themselves, or love a man who does.

Stories can be from any sub-genre, but they should be fully realized with strong characters and a happy ever after, or at least happy for now, endings. They should be between 5000 and 12000 words long, and should be submitted in full and include a synopsis and author biography in the cover letter. Please put your name or pseudonym in the manuscript as well as in your submission email.

Send submissions to submissions@torquerepress.com with Ink in the subject line. Payment is a $50.00 flat fee for first time electronic and print rights for three years, and a print copy of the book. No reprints, please.Deadline for submissions is September 1, 2012 for a December 2012 publication.

Young adults deal with many issues - peer pressure, bullying, self esteem, just to name a few. For this anthology we are looking for stories that inspire hope, feature main characters that overcome great odds/obstacles, or leave the reader inspired. We are open to any genre as long as it is intended for the YA audience and meets the guidelines mentioned below. The common thread tying these stories together are the themes of hope and encouragement.

== Short Story word count between 500 words and 7,000 words
== No sex scenes
== Previously published stories are accepted as long as you have the rights to them.

Please include the following with your submission:

*Author name
*A short author bio (for the website)
*Word count
*Title of the story
*Your email address
*Your story

If your story is accepted for one of our anthologies you will be notified by email. Upon notification you will then receive a submission/publishing agreement. If you agree to the terms sign the agreement and return it to Chamberton Publishing. Once we have the signed agreement, the payment for your story will be made.

Other information:

== You keep the copyright to your story.
== You can republish it at any time.
== You give Chamberton Publishing the right to publish in the anthology in ebook and/or print.
== Your name will appear in the anthology and on the Chamberton Publishing website.
== You will be paid for your story.

We are seeking submissions for a colonialism-themed anthology of new stories told from the perspective of the colonized, titled We See a Different Frontier, to be guest edited by Fábio Fernandes and published by The Future Fire.

It is impossible to consider the history, politics or culture of the modern world without taking into account our colonial past. Most violent conflicts and financial inequalities in some sense result from the social-political-economic matrix imposed by European powers since the seventeenth century—even powerful countries such as the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) have to be viewed through the filter of our history to fully appreciate their current circumstances. The same is true of art and literature, including science fiction; as Rochita Roenen-Luiz eloquently explained, “it is impossible to discuss non-Western SF without considering the effects of colonialism.” Cultural imperialism erases many native traditions and literatures, exoticizes colonized and other non-European countries and peoples, and drowns native voices in the clamour of Western stories set in their world. Utopian themes like “The Final Frontier”, “Discovering New Worlds” and “Settling the Stars” appeal to a colonial romanticism, especially recalling the American West. But what is romantic and exciting to the privileged, white, anglophone reader is a reminder of exploitation, slavery, rape, genocide and other crimes of colonialism to the rest of the world.

We See a Different Frontier will publish new speculative fiction stories in which the viewpoint is that of the colonized, not the invader. We want to see stories that remind us that neither readers nor writers are a homogeneous club of white, male, Christian, hetero, cis, monoglot anglophone, able-bodied Westerners. We want the cultures, languages and literatures of colonized peoples and recombocultural individuals to be heard, not to show the White Man learning the error of his ways, or Anglos defending the world from colonizing extraterrestrials. We want stories that neither exoticize nor culturally appropriate the non-western settings and characters in them.

We See a Different Frontier will pay US$0.05 per word, with a minimum payment of $50, plus the possibility of royalties if sales are good enough. We are looking for stories between 3,000 and 6,000 words in length; we are willing to be flexible about this wordcount, but the further a story falls outside this range, the harder a sell it will be. Please do not submit stories that are also under consideration elsewhere. Query before sending more than one story to us. We are unlikely to be interested in reprints unless they were published in an obscure market unlikely to be known to our audience, but in any case please query before sending a reprint, explaining when and where the story has appeared before.

Please send submissions as an attachment (.doc[x], .rtf or .odt) to differentfrontier@gmail.com. The deadline for submissions is midnight GMT, September 14, 2012.

Halloween this year falls on a regular release day, so we want to have a Halloween Sip Extravaganza on October 31st.

I will need your Halloween stories in by September 20th, please. The more the merrier.

Sips are no less than 3000 words, and no more than 9999 words (If you go higher, it's a novella instead of a Sip and you should submit it as such).

The theme of Halloween is extremely wide open -- it can be paranormal or fantasy/urban fantasy, it can be contemporary focused on October 31, call it Halloween or Samhain. Demons, angels, vampires, elves, werewolves, shifters of all kinds, fairies, whatever otherworldly creature you can think of -- they're all welcome here.

As long as there is some element to tie your story to the general theme of Halloween it fits.

So please, send me your Halloween sips to our usual submission address (submissions @ torquerepress.com) with Halloween Sip in the subject line before September 20.

Everybody loves a rockstar. The music, the look, the life—it’s loud and glamorous and wild. From the badboy who can’t stay out of trouble to fresh-faced newbies still getting used to the stage to the softrock boys who actually play nice. Then there are all the people behind the scenes who keep the rockers on stage: the agents, producers, techs, songwriters, etc. who help bring the music to life. And the fans, who turn the volume up, beg for the encores, and keep the music playing. Less Than Three Press is seeking stories about the bad boys and girls who make the music and make us want to turn it up and put it on repeat. Got a story for us?

==Stories should be at least 10,000 words. Anything less is too short to run as a serial, as we post them in 5,000 word sections. They should not exceed approx 50,000 words in length, as we do not like a single story to run for too long.
==Stories must be m/m or f/f romance (threesomes, etc. are acceptable, but all parties must be the same gender).
==Stories must have a happily ever after (HEA) or happy for now (HFN) end.
==All usual LT3 submission guidelines apply.
==This collection is centered around the theme of rockstars. All stories must have a strong tie to this theme. Any sub-genre is gladly accepted: sci-fi, mystery, contemporary, steampunk, etc.

Rocking Hard will run as one of LT3′s serial anthologies. Stories will run one by one on a biweekly basis, to be compiled into a single anthology at the end of the series. Current examples of serial anthologies are Bad Moon Rising and Something Happened on the Way to Heaven. They’re an extremely popular aspect of our serial stories, as readers like the shorter stories mixed in with some of our longer running works.

Payment will be $200 on acceptance of the story and 5% of gross subscription sales while your story is in the serial rotation. Authors will receive one copy each of the ebook formats LT3 produces and two copies of the paperback compilation.

Stories should be complete before submitting, and as edited as possible. They can be submitted in any format (doc, docx, rtf, odt, etc), preferably single spaced with a space between paragraphs, in an easy to read font (Times, Calibri, Arial) with no special formatting (no elaborate section separation, special fonts, etc). Additional formatting guidelines can be found here.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia will be editing Dead North, an anthology of zombie stories set in Canada, for Canadian publisher Exile Editions. The editor is interested in stories from 2,000 to 10,000 words. Stories must be set in Canada (Chinatown in Vancouver, the oil patches in Alberta, the vast territory of Nunavut, etc.) . The setting must be an important element, not just a throwaway reference you make on page one and forget on page three. Setting could be past, present or future. You do not need to be Canadian to submit, but Canadian writers are strongly encouraged to submit due to the nature of the anthology.

What is a zombie?

Romero-like or in the vein of Herbert West, created by magic or voodoo, fast or slow, smart or dumb, rotting or perfectly healthy, we are defining a zombie as a reanimated corpse.

What do we want to see?

Smart, quirky and unique takes on zombies. Silvia loves stories with strong heroes, non-linear plots and multicultural characters. Yes, we want to know if the Inuit would cope with the zombie apocalypse with no major issues or if Chinese-Canadians have a secret recipe to deal with zombie disasters.

Was the wendigo really a zombie? Was the Great Fire of 1886 started by zombie hunters? Would zombies freeze in the Manitoba winter? Would a hockey stick make a good defensive weapon against the undead? You tell us.

You do not need to be Canadian to submit, but Canadian writers are strongly encouraged to submit due to the nature of the anthology. Canadian writers, Aboriginal writers, culturally diverse writers, new generation writers, Francophone writers and female writers are strongly encouraged to submit. For a definition of any of these terms please see below.

== Canadian permanent residents, Canadian citizens, Canadians living abroad must indicate their status in their cover letter. International writers: nationality not required, but it is nice to know for my stats sheet.
== Please indicate if you consider yourself any of the following in the cover letter: Aboriginal writer, culturally diverse writer, Francophone writer, new generation writer.
== No multiple submissions (don’t send two/three stories at the same time). Stories must not have been submitted elsewhere for publication consideration: this means no simultaneous subs (exception: stories may be simultaneously submitted to a contest sponsored by Exile Editions and this anthology). Will try to respond quickly.
== 2,000 to 10,000 words.
== Yes to reprints. Indicate if it is a reprint and publishing history. Flat payment of $40 (CAD) for reprints.
== Send as .doc, .docx or .rtf with indented paragraphs, italics in italics and bold in bold (no underlining). Full contact info and word count on the first page. Please include a cover letter (name, story title and word count, contact info, notable credits, if any) in the body of the e-mail.
== Submissions in English only. Stories translated into English are fine.
== Please do not send poetry, plays, novels. Short stories only.

All acceptances or rejections will be sent before December 31 2012. Do not query before that. Payment is 2 cents (CAD) per word and two contributor copies. Release date for the anthology is Fall 2013.

Send all submissions to silmorenogarciaATgmail.com; no paper subs . Subject line: Submission: Dead North: Story Title Last Name.

[Click through for more info, including a list of zombie stories the editor likes, and a list of definitions for the types of writers who are particularly encouraged to submit.]

***

30 September 2012 (or until filled) -- Once Upon an Apocalypse -- ed. Rachel Kenley and Scott T. Goudsward, Chaosium

Over the river and through the woods does not always lead to grandma’s house or happy endings – especially if grandma’s house is infested with zombies… or if grandma is really a Lovecraftian being in disguise. Once Upon an Apocalypse is a two volume post apocalyptic anthology laden with the undead and otherwordly mythos crossing into the realm of fairy tales, nursery rhymes and other timeless stories. Editors Rachel Kenley and Scott T. Goudsward and publisher Chaosium are currently open to submissions for these two books of mixed up retold fairy tales.

What are we looking for?

For both volumes we want stories with strong narrative lines, stronger characters and a clear blending of the theme and the fairy tales. For Volume One imagine Cinderella arriving at the ball and discovering it filled with zombies. Or how different the story would be if it were Snow White and the Seven Zombies. Give us new horrors with Alice in Zombieland, and a Prince who climbs Rapunzel’s hair to get away from and find a way to defeat – you guessed it – zombies. In Volume Two we want a strong dose of Lovecraft thrown in. What happens to the townspeople in The Boy who Cried Cthulhu? Pinocchio is going to have a much harder time getting out of the Old One than the whale; a wolf would have been preferable to Little Red Riding Hood and the Byahkee and the Little Mermaid has so much more to worry about then her legs and a missing voice when she faces a Deep One.

Once you choose a story to change it’s your call how far you will take it. Make the apocalypse clear and give some meaning as to why the dead are meandering through the streets and munching on the breathing or why the Elder God has paid the town a visit. Plague, prestilence, bio warfare, meteor shower, tail of a comet… be creative.

Because we don’t want duplicates of themes, you will be able to follow the progress of the anthologies on our blog (http://onceuponanapocalypse.com) or facebook page (www.facebook.com/OnceUponAnApocalypse) where we’ll keep a current list of themes/tales accepted. For example, if we get a Sleeping Beauty story and it’s awesome, that will be it for the book. Stories should be 2K – 4K in length (please query for stories under or over our limit. We will consider them if they are of exceptional merit). The only true way to have similar stories is A Snow White and the Seven Zombies in one and Snow White Star Vampire Slayer in the other.

What aren’t we looking for?

We all know these are dark fiction anthologies, but gore for the sake of gore is un-needed. This is not splatterpunk or extreme horror. Sex? If the story calls for it fine but keep it to an R rating (maybe even PG-13). We don’t to hear about insertions and spurting fluids, unless is blood from a bite wound or a gun shot. Try to keep the violence towards animals at a minimum. In some mythos, zombies chew on animals and that’s fine, but we don’t want redneck zombies killing all of Bo-Peep’s sheep for a pie. Finally, though we shouldn’t have to mention it (but we will given the theme) – go easy on the child-related violence, please. And no kids and sex – that’s just skeevy.

Readingperiod – now through July 31, 2012 – or until filled.

Pay rates – Pays $.03 per word, no royalties and 3 free books and additional copies at 50% off cover.

Email subs to: ouaastories@ gmail.com

Format:

Stories should be an attachment to your cover letter email, NOT copied and pasted into the body of the email. The cover letter should include a single paragraph synopsis of the story and your publishing history. The submission should be in RTF or DOC format (no DOCX). Left aligned, 1/2” indentation for paragraphs, single spaced. Double space between scenes and use five stars (*****) for breaks in the story. Contact info should be on the first page of the story with word count.

Please do not query for your story until we’ve had it for at least 12 weeks. Publication is expected for the first half of 2013. No reprints and no simultaneous submissions. If we turn you down feel free to try again with a new story but give it a few days between submissions.

And please when submitting please be specific which book you are submitting to. We’re reading for both simultaneously. Subject line of the email should be Name, Story Name, Which book.

A 1950’s Lovecraft/Cthulhu Mythos anthology has been green lit by Chaosium to correspond with their release of the ATOMIC AGE CTHULHU book for their RPG. This will have a very short and hard deadline of October 1st. We do this because the plan is to have this book come out around the same time as the AAC RPG book. This will make for good cross promotion and hopefully make both books sell better. This means that you will have to do a story for us fast, which means perhaps bumping it up past some of your other writing duties. So if you’re down for that, and we hope you are, welcome to our nuclear family of crazed cultists.

So why bring Lovecraftian horror to the 1950’s? Because few other points in history seem so tailor-made for the paranoia and fear that is so important to the Cthulhu Mythos. While many places in the world were still recovering and rebuilding from the Second World War, this was a good time for America in many ways. The economy and industry was roaring, the nation was filled with pride over a hard won victory, the middle class exploded and it seemed like everyone could own their own home, car, or perhaps even one of those new amazing televisions. Very few other decades are remembered more fondly, and viewed through thicker rose-colored glasses, than the 1950’s is for Americans. It was a time of innocence where the music, movies, cars, and everything was just so much better than anything before or since. And yet, all that was largely a façade. Just below the shiny surface of “everything is great” was the festering fear that wrapped its clammy tentacles around everyone regardless of race, sex, or age.

Never before in history did the world face a global threat as it did in the shadow of the A-bombs, and later the even more devastating H-bombs. Educational films were made to show how to survive a nuclear blast, and at the movie theatres the classic monsters of the 30s and 40s were replaced by the horrors spawned from that atom. Children were instructed to crawl under their school desks if “The Bomb” was dropped, as if an inch of wood would make any difference, and many regular families either had new bomb shelters dug into their back yards, or converted existing basements or storm cellars for a more grim purpose.

Then there were the unseen dangers, the enemies that were everywhere, even in our midst. There were the usual cultural threats, exemplified in this decade by devilish rock n’ roll, morally corrupt books like Lolita, and Catcher in the Rye, disgusting nudie magazines like Playboy, and then there were the sinister comic books that were corrupting the minds of the youngest readers. But books and movies were one thing, the threat of a very real unknown army of people, striving to overthrow the entire government and strip away all personal freedom, was quite another. This cabal of evildoers were everywhere, could be anyone including your neighbours, friends, and maybe even your family members. Of course I’m talking about the dreaded Red Menace, the godless communists. Those dastardly Reds had to be stopped by any means necessary, lest the good people of America lose everything.

So you have everyone thinking that everything is A-OK, but in reality you’ve got a global threat that could change the world as we know it, one that can’t be fought against and if ever unleashed, just barely survived. There’s an insidious corruption growing, spreading, influencing the young and easily lead. Not to mention a cult of secretive people working in the shadows to their own nefarious ends. Yep, sounds like Lovecraft to us.

We want stories that blend the happy world of ‘Leave it to Beaver’ and ‘Father Knows Best’ with the cold dread of cosmic horror. Thankfully the 1950’s has much to offer an author to play with. The ever present threat of nuclear annihilation, the spreading red menace that can be anywhere and anyone, the McCarthy witch hunt to combat that menace, the division of Europe and the Iron Curtain, China becoming communist, the birth of the Cold War, a very hot war in Korea, the beginning of the space race, UFO hysteria, rock n’ roll, television, the United States Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency (the ‘comic books are evil’ crowd), sci-fi movies, drive ins, the growth of the suburbs, an American nightmare that would be the influence for some of horror’s greatest books and movies for years to come (Ed Gein), greasers, beatniks, hotrods, vets home from the most devastating war in history, Nazis in South America, man mastering (or attempting to) new scientific marvels, and so much more. So go wild, explore, for you non-US authors out there, feel free to set stories in your home countries and show what it was like over there during this decade, and how life there becomes influenced and corrupted by Lovecraftian horrors. Just remember, every story must be set between 1950 and 1959. You can mention past events, like World War II, but the majority of your story must be set in the 1950s.

Now for the technical stuff.

Submissions close: Midnight 1st October 2012

Word Limit: 3000 – 7000 words FIRM.

Pay Rate: 3 cents per word, 3 complementary contributor copies, and the option to purchase more at a 50% discount.

Format: Standard Manuscript Format, an example of proper formatting can be found here: http://www.shunn.net/format/story.html

In the subject line include the name of the anthology, your full name and story title.

The canon of Edgar Allan Poe, one of the foremost writers of dark and atmospheric fiction and poetry, offers readers haunted shores teeming with various erudite men brooding in the waning light over their feelings for unobtainable women. Yet, whether the tales or verses are grotesque or sinister, Poe's narrators are Outsiders, dealing with emotions that so many queer individuals feel: isolation and abandonment as well as loneliness and lost love. Editor Steve Berman wants to breach the chasm and offer an anthology that replaces the heteronormative aspects of Poe's work and life with a different range of identities.

Regardless whether you make Roderick seduce the unnamed narrator visiting Usher, or have a woman fall under Ligeia's sway, the story should be dark as well as fantastical. Stories that involve Poe the author are also acceptable.

Think both Gothic and gay. Obviously, dependent on the time period, the term homosexual might not be apt. Sexual identity is partly labeling, partly sexual experience, and partly attraction. But do not think of this as a romance or erotica anthology; first and foremost, these are stories that should be at home in Weird Tales as much as Strange Horizons.

Fiction or prose, the rate of pay is 5 cents a word for original material. Reprints must query and the pay will be significantly less. Any length for poetry but fiction should be at least 1,500 words and no more than 12,000. Payment is upon release in the spring of 2013 from Lethe Press, a publisher around for over a decade--and who has released the last two winners of the Lambda Literary Award for Best LGBT Fantasy/Horror/Science Fiction.

Please send all submissions to sberman8 at yahoo dot com as RTF files.

About Me

My name is Angie and I'm a writer living in Seattle, WA with my husband. I publish science fiction, fantasy and crime stories under Angela Penrose, and romance and erotica under Angela Benedetti. I pretty much live at the computer, either writing or online or both. My schedule is chaotically variable, so I might be awake or asleep at any given moment. It's not all bad; writing at 2am when it's quiet is actually pretty cool.